The present invention relates generally to a mailbox accessory device and, more particularly, to a mailbox slide mechanism which enables a person to more easily access mail located towards the rear or back portion of the mailbox.
Mailboxes come in a variety of different sizes and shapes. Mailboxes which are typically located adjacent a street or road typically include an elongated enclosed housing structure having an access door located at one end portion thereof for providing access to the interior of the mailbox. These mailboxes are likewise typically located on a pole or other upright supporting structure and are oriented for easy access by the mail carrier especially from inside a vehicle. This height orientation is likewise suitable for retrieving mail from the mailbox from inside a vehicle. This is particularly true in rural areas where the street or roadside mailbox is typically located a substantial distance from the home or residence and is not typically within a convenient walkable distance from such home or residence.
Depending upon the size and depth of a typical street or roadside mailbox, mail articles and pieces located towards the rear or back portion of the mailbox structure are sometimes difficult to reach particularly when one is accessing the mailbox from inside a vehicle. Due to the distance between the vehicle and the access door of the mailbox, the depth of the mailbox and the arm length of the person trying to access the mail from the vehicle, those mail articles and pieces located towards the back of the mailbox may not be reachable. In this situation, the driver is usually forced to open the vehicle door and either lean forward or step out of the vehicle in order to access those particular mail pieces. Age, physical disability, and other factors may likewise contribute to one's difficulty in retrieving mail pieces located in the back or rear portion of a particular mailbox.
Thus, there is a need for a device which will enable a person to more easily retrieve mail pieces located at the back or rear portion of a particular street or roadside mailbox, particularly, when a person is retrieving such mail from inside a vehicle. The present invention is directed to a mailbox accessory device which overcomes the problems set forth above and allows a user to more easily access mail pieces located within a typical street or roadside mailbox regardless of the location of the mail pieces within such mailbox.